Trends & Challenges for Human Resource Management in 2023

General HR Trends

Before getting into specifics, let’s get a reading on general emerging HR strategies to address expectations in the hiring and compliance arena. Human Resources in 2023 and onward will mean more complexity, requiring flexible strategies. At the same time HR will be more essential for business success, which means it must be increasingly cross-functional. Some general changes and goals should include:

Focusing on employee well-being

Since the 2020 pandemic, many pandemic-related HR questions have been raised and attitudes toward work have shifted with a rearrangement of employee priorities and work/life balance. Companies need to meet potential employees where they are in this regard. This will include:

• Expanding mental health resources
• Group health care benefits with heavier emphasis on mental health
• Encourage openness and re-framing of mental challenges in the workspace
  
  

Offering work schedule flexibility

The pandemic also forced a change in how, when and where people work, showing both employees and employers what’s possible and what's desirable in work scheduling. Addressing this may include:

• Work from home and hybrid office/home workplaces
• Establish clear parameters around remote and hybrid work
• Divergence from typical 9-5 scheduling
• More asynchronous work, where possible
  
  

Renewing focus on diversity and inclusion

Diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) is increasingly evaluated by potential hires as a workplace differentiator and metric for the  quality of work environments. HR professionals must focus on:

• Establishing employee rosters that mirror the society around them
• Hiring diverse candidates not only in terms of race, gender, age, ethnicity & sexual orientation, but also experience, personality and skill set
  
  

Re-evaluating employee performance measurements

Historically attendance was a common, if not subconscious, metric through which the quality of an employee was measured. Flexible scheduling and remote work demands new ways to judge performance. To address this, HR departments must:

• Shift from attendance to output as a conscious measurement of performance
• Establish workflows conducive to added productivity based on flexible work schedules
  
  

Providing novel fringe benefits

Onsite office niceties and structured extra-professional activities don’t have the same impact with the prevalence of remote work. Decoupling employee benefits from structured office life will be essential. HR pros should consider revising benefits to include: 

• Home office equipment & meal reimbursements, commuting programs, educational opportunities
• Specialty account offerings to help fund individual employee interests, entertainment, and physical well-being
  
  

Adapting communication to new work patterns

Casual water cooler moments and impromptu/informal check-ins are being replaced by more formal written communication with more open expectations for response timelines. There are pros and cons here - emails and instant messages offer a history and transparency in interactions, but also lack the subtleties of verbal communication—which can lead to misunderstandings. HR teams can encourage an attitudinal shift toward this trend by:

• Promoting empathy in communication and reducing reactionary responses - assume good faith in communication
• Encouraging shorter meetings and more frequent managerial feedback
  
  

De-mystifying career trajectories & long-term opportunities

Employers usually prefer long-tenured employees, but their company’s culture and work environment are occasionally at odds with this goal. Aligning these strategies and goals with an employee’s desire for stability should be an HR goal in 2023 and beyond, achievable by: 

• Offering upfront education and career development opportunities
• Creating on-demand, digital resources for reskilling, upskilling and cross-skilling 

Get in touch with our HR Team

Ansay & Associates HR consultants are well-versed in compliance of all types and are ready to advise companies in need of full HR services or basic guidance around compliance, benefits, and more. Contact us today!